This invention relates to well pipe connectors which are used in connecting a vertical well pipe within a hollow well casing to a horizontal water discharge pipe which extends into the well casing.
Pitless well systems are so named because they include a hollow steel casing of, perhaps 4-12 inches in diameter, through which a vertical well pipe, a submersible pump and its power lines, etc., are lowered. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the pump is positioned far down in the casing with a vertical pipe extending upwardly therefrom through the casing up toward the ground surface. To avoid problems from freezing, the horizontal water discharge pipe leading to the house or other structure is preferably placed below the frost line and extends into the well casing through an aperture below the ground.
Well adaptor units are provided to detachably connect the vertical pipe within the casing to the horizontal discharge pipe. Most conveniently, such connections can be made from the ground level and usually feature some sort of an interlocking and sealed fit between an angled unit attached to the vertical pipe and a fitting secured to the interior of the well casing and extending through the aperture to provide an attachment for the horizontal pipe.
In order to conserve material and facilitate the drilling of deeper wells, it is desirable to keep the well casing itself as small in diameter as possible. However, the well casing must be large enough to permit passage of the submersible pump, pipe, power wires, etc. This is particularly a problem at the area of the adaptor connecting the vertical to the horizontal pipe. In most cases, the pump itself is of considerable larger size than the vertical pipe and the casing must thus be large enough to permit passage of the pump past the area of the adaptor.
One approach to this problem has been to design a well casing with an enlarged area around the adaptor. Such casing designs are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,707,030 or 2,918,972. In casings of this type, while this approach allows the protuberance attached to the inside of the well casing to be moved radially outward to open the full diameter of the casing for passage of the pump, it adds an additional cost and difficulty to burying the casing.
An alternative approach in providing a clear passage through the well casing for the pump is to eliminate the internal fixture at the casing aperture and to provide other means for securing the adaptor against the aperture. This approach is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,949,961 or 2,968,256. In both of these constructions, the adaptor itself features a mechanism for forcing its outlet against the casing aperture by pushing a portion of the adaptor against the diametrically opposite portion of the casing by means of a screw thread or wedge mechanism, etc. Thus, when the adaptor is to be removed, the pushing mechanism is retracted and the entire adaptor can be removed from the casing, leaving the diameter of the casing free for passage of the pump and other parts. This approach, of course, requires a more complex mechanism to create the opposed forces against the casing side wall and also requires a separate sized unit for every casing size.
In view of the desirability of providing a well adaptor which can be attached within the casing to connect the vertical and horizontal well pipes and yet, when removed, will leave the passage within the casing substantially clear, and further in view of the shortcomings of the enlarged casings or complex adaptors of the prior art, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple well adaptor which is easily attached or detached from above the ground level to connect the vertical and horizontal well pipes and which, when detached, leaves the diameter of the casing substantially free for passage of the pump and other materials.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a clear casing well adaptor system in which the interior parts of the adaptor are standardized to fit any sized casing.